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3DS Max - to re-subscribe or not?


simonm
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Hi guys

 

I have a perpetual licence and currently have 2014-2016 installed - the subscription is now up and they want another $900AUD for the year. My reseller told me that the annual subscription fee is set to 'substantially rise', but she doesnt know to what figure as autodesk havent officially released it.

Im just fed up with autodesk to be honest. Its not a software package worth anywhere near what they sell it for imo... i mean its the most expensive piece of software ive heard of (im sure theres more) and for a small player like myself its a massive outlay... and then they continually want you to pay through the nose to keep having it. What makes me even more furious is that its quiet buggy... i feel like i have bought a ferrari with plastic fiddly bits that always need attending

 

look $900 isnt so bad per year - but a 'substantial rise' does piss me off as I know what theyre trying to do - they want everyone on the 'adobe' style rental... which is normally all good and dandy but I believe its around $180 per month to rent....

 

anyway thats enough of my rant, what do you guys think of the situation? Im sure many of you may disagree with me but this is how i feel about it

 

rant over :)

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but you chose autodesk to be with yes there are a lot more cheaper versions of 3d software but some software does not have the features that autodesk has.

 

 

Autodesk is mainly used for the video game and animation industry.

 

 

you knew what price of the full version was and what 3ds max was like when you downloaded the trial, i assume and did not buy 3ds max blindly if you did that then that was foolish IMHO

 

 

if you go with a different 3d software you will have to start off again by learning the new software and what features it has and what is it capable of doing

 

 

now your subscription is over you can cancel it and try another software

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you could use Gmax that is a cut down version of max 6 and it's free but you won't get any of the new feautres but i am not sure if you have the rights to sell your models that you made or if 3d or post them in a community

Edited by tonybishop
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good points George and exactly how i feel... i have the perpetual licence, so i OWN 3DS Max 2016 for good....i think u hit the nail on the head... why would i need an upgrade every year when i have all the bells n whistles i need to get the job done now...

 

Tony thanks for your input.. not sure why id use Gmax when i own a licence... the licence is valid for life so ill get to use it and sell my models.

I just dont like the corporate tactic they are employing which seems greedy... i think the way adobe handled it is sooooo great and tangible/affordable... for next to nothing you can get a whole suite... talk about value for money

 

 

I could see this coming when Autodesk announced subscription. I think a lot of users, especially individuals and small businesses will regret getting rid of their perpetual licence. We all know what Autodesk's motives are, more money from users. Once you subscribe you will lose your right to use the software unless you are continually paying for the rest of your life even through slack times. I am on 2014 and it does everything I need it to do and produces excellent results so why would I want to keep paying every year for all the new bells and whistles, most of which I never use or are just a different way to do the same thing, to give just one example I still use the loft over the sweep. It is like comparing buying an expensive new car every year or keeping hold the one you have if it is up to the job. Autodesk do not like it when users are still using copies from years ago as they do not make any money from them. Also as a long term user I can safely say it is the most bug ridden software I have ever used and you never get a bug free version, as they clear some bugs new ones come along. If I hadn't been using it for so long and if I had the time to extensively learn another I would definitely look to consider something else. There does seem to be an increasing number of other software that can produce excellent results. For the large corporate companies it may work but for the smaller user it is will be decision time.
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you cannot sell anything once your subscription is over you need to continue with your subscription if you want to sell anything! you cannot model and sell your models b/c that violates autodesk T&C's

 

Are you sure? We are talking about the old "subscription" model, NOT the new one moving forward after the 2016 product cycle.

 

A perpetual license is good for life. The subscription only gets you access to special updates like the extensions and yearly releases. But if the OP stays on 2016 even with canceling the subscription, they are still on a full and 100% valid paid for license. Therefore, I see zero reason why you can't sell models.

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It's perfectly legal to sell your work created on an old version of Max, as long as you have paid for that version. You do not need to have an active subscription unless you are on an Adobe style rolling contract.

 

I know many law abiding, straight cut freelancers and designers who are working on legacy versions of Max, because they paid for a licence at the time and nowhere in the T+C's did it say anything about the licence they purchased having a limited lifetime.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Tony,

 

yeah, I haven't heard about anyone being sued for making models either? I think that could be a myth.

Back to the subject though: In George's post #3 he says "... Also as a long term user I can safely say it is the most bug ridden software I have ever used". This in short has increasingly been the problem with 3ds Max on every release since it was sold by Discreet some years ago. The 2 major problems we see are: 1. untested software - it seems the subscribers are now beta testers! and 2. There is a disconnect between us endusers and the developers, so again you could call this poor testing, but it feels like there is no understanding of the endusers' workflow.

 

We are becoming very disgruntled 3dsMax users and considering our options, perhaps Cinema 4D or other. We'd be very happy with 3ds Max but for the bugs which are significantly affecting our workflow. As George said we've been using it a long time, but in my experience learning new software within the same field is really just learning a new UI and, ok, it's a little frustratig at first, but give it 2 or 3 weeks and most of that is forgotten.

 

Regards

Jesper Pedersen

www.pedersenfocus.ie

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